


A Pretty Good Life

by Kaiyou



Series: Scions and Sake [14]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, a hint of bromance, also references to other anime characters, background vampire politics, background vampires, broship, but really this is just slice of life stuff, some fluffy romantic bits too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-02-20
Packaged: 2018-09-25 18:46:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9838652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiyou/pseuds/Kaiyou
Summary: Kawanishi gets to enjoy a rare day at the beach with Reon and Yamagata, enjoying the view and thinking about the past, his relationship, and life.





	

Sunlight warmed Kawanishi’s chest and he smiled, snuggling back into the arms holding him.

“Wake up,” Reon whispered.

Lips twitching, Kawanishi pondered that option. He was warm and comfortable in the arms of his boyfriend. Still, he knew that soon the sunlight would be sliding up and over his face, and he really didn’t want to be in bed when that happened.

Of course, he had options.

Smiling he turned over in Reon’s grasp, nuzzling his chest instead and feeling the other man chuckle.

“You need to get up,” said Reon. “We need to get up. We’re supposed to go to the beach today, remember?”

Oh yeah. Yamagata was pretty hype about the three of them going out, even if the weather was a bit too chilly for Kawanishi’s tastes.

“Taichi,” Reon murmured, tugging him up and placing kisses on Kawanishi’s ear, “I’ll buy you Sukiyaki for lunch.”

“Tired,” Kawanishi grumbled.

Reon just laughed, letting him go and rolling off of the other side of the bed. “You’ll be fine once you get up and get moving,” he said.

Kawanishi pouted, then got distracted by his lover’s well-muscled ass. “Why are you wearing underwear?” he asked, trying to remember the events of the night before.

“I don’t know. Just felt like it. We barely made it into bed last night before you passed out, so it was just easier to kick off pants and be done with it."

“Yeah,” said Kawanishi. He’d fed both Tendou and Semi the night before since none of the fighters could donate this close to their matches. Kawanishi didn’t mind it. Tendou and Semi were both pretty hot, after all, but they were nothing like his muscular boyfriend. He vaguely remembered a couple of the things Reon had done to him before they made it from the doorway to more vertical surfaces. That had been nice. Very nice. Kawanishi smiled, wondering if he could convince the man who was now looking at him with those luscious chocolate-brown eyes to come back to bed so he could return the favor.

“Get out of bed or I’m stripping the sheets off with you in it.”Merciless chocolate brown eyes.

Correction. Merciless chocolate-brown eyes.

Sighing, Kawanishi rolled out of bed and walked over to his boyfriend, getting a good palm-full of ass before reaching into the closet for his clothes.

“Blue today?” Kawanishi asked, jumping a bit as Reon pinched his ass.

“As long as its clothes, I don’t care. You know this.”

“You prefer me without clothes, though, right?”

“Not if we end up renting bikes like Yamagata wanted,” Reon said. “Then you’ll probably need some sort of knee and elbow protection.”

Huffing, Kawanishi pulled on a long-sleeved shirt and gave his boyfriend a dirty look before leaning over to kiss his shoulder. “You’re such a romantic, Reon.”

Lips twitching, Reon just pulled on an oversized flannel shirt and buttoned it up. “Only for you, Taichi. Only for you,” he said, flicking the switch for the shutters before opening the door into the hall.

It still made Kawanishi wondrously pleased to have the big man by his side. He’d always had a type, he could admit that - preferred humans to vampires, boys to girls, muscular to lithe. He hadn’t expected that Tendou would bring someone who was just his type home when he came back from the countryside, though.

Then again, having Tendou as a boss meant living a life of surprises.

He could still remember when he was young, before he’d come to Tokyo. His parents hadn’t exactly been worried about sending their second son to work for their vampire overlords, but it hadn’t been easy either. It was just tradition. Toshihiro was the eldest - even if only for a few minutes - and would continue the family name, Taichi would be the tithe paid to the vampires that let them live so comfortably just like his uncle and his great-uncle had been before him. The Tendou family had always treated his family well, and the second sons that served them seemed perfectly content with their lives as far as anyone knew.

The kids at school hadn’t exactly been kind about it when they caught wind. Toshihiro and he had been in an argument, and the other kids overheard. His older sister had been more and more sweet as time came near for Kawanishi to go away, but Toshihiro had just gotten cold. They hadn’t ever gotten along perfectly, but Kawanishi was pretty sure that every time his twin looked him in the eye he was reminded that it could’ve been him being sent away.

That wasn’t any reason for Toshihiro to resent him, but guilt made people do strange things.

Their final few days had been like a cold war, with Kawanishi putting up with every prank his classmates threw at him and Toshihiro just sitting back like he’d masterminded all of it. Kawanishi’s parents had found out at the end, of course, and there had been much yelling - but by then he didn’t even care he was leaving.

That was a lie. He’d cared a lot. He’d spent the train ride into Tokyo half filled with longing for his parents and his sister, half full of fear for what he’d have to endure in his life-long state of indentured servitude.

Then, he met Tendou.

Smiling, Kawanishi walked out into the hallway and to the restroom, knocking on Yamagata’s door and hearing the sleepy grumble from his friend. Yamagata had been one of the few kids in his hometown to stand up for him before he left. Unfortunately, they hadn’t gone to the same school, but they had hung out at the same parks, playing volleyball or basketball or anything else they could get their hands on.

He’d missed him.

Humming softly Kawanishi ducked into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, taking care of all his other daily necessities while scrutinizing his hair. Passable. Yawning, he made his way out into the kitchen, slouching at the table while he watched Reon cook breakfast.

The plate his boyfriend slapped down in front of him was a bit worrisome. “I don’t need this much,” Kawanishi grumbled, staring at the two thick sausage links as well as the yellow rolls of tamagoyaki and a large pile of rice.

“You fed two vampires last night,” Reon countered. “Plus, you love sausage.”

“I love your sausage,” Kawanishi grumbled, picking up a fork and digging in. He didn’t miss the flicker of a smile on Reon’s face as he turned back to the stove.

“And my sausage loves you back,” said Reon, “But it loves you more when you aren’t grumbling and dragging yourself twenty yards behind us on your bike.”

“Well, maybe you guys should remember I’m not in tip-top physical condition, unlike you two.”

“Are you whining, Kawanishi?” Yamagata exclaimed, strolling into the kitchen.

Stabbing a bite of sausage, Kawanishi said, “Whyever would you think that.”

Laughing, Yamagata ruffled Kawanishi’s hair before plopping down across from him. “It’s ok. You provide a valuable service to the community just by looking pretty and hanging off of Reon’s arm. You don’t need to be tough and buff like us.”

He punctuated his statement flexing his arms, a display that might’ve been impressive if Kawanishi wasn’t used to Reon’s impressive musculature.

So Kawanishi just snorted, poking his fork in the air toward Yamagata. “I’ll have you know I’m more than just a pretty face.”

“Oh, I know!” Yamagata said, beaming. “You’ve got a pretty nice ass too, if someone’s into that sort of thing.”

“I am,” Reon offered, coming over with two plates and setting them down before going over to grab some juice.

“As often as possible, I’d suspect,” said Yamagata, grinning unrepentantly.

“Hey, at least we’re getting some,” said Kawanishi, not planning to dissuade his friend of his assumptions. “And let me tell you, the getting is good.”

Smiling up at Reon, Kawanishi noticed a faint blush on his boyfriend’s cheeks. Damn, Reon was cute like this. Tilting his head to the side he took a few more bites, just enjoying the taste of egg and rice while watching his lover as he came back and set glasses in front of each of them before starting in on his plate.

Yamagata was too busy digging into his own food to make crude comments for the moment. Not that Kawanishi really cared about crude comments, as long as they didn’t bother Reon.

When Reon glanced up at him, Kawanishi smiled. Reon’s eyes softened, holding his gaze for a moment before he looked over at Yamagata.

Kawanishi wasn’t quite sure how he’d tripped so deeply into love with this man. Probably because of Reon’s mix of steadiness, romance, and a subtle sardonic sense of humor. There was the occasional obliviousness that made him human enough that Kawanishi didn’t feel completely outmatched too. Plus his good looks - thick lips that were perfect for kissing, round nose, those eyes -

“You’re looking goofy, Kawa,” Yamagata said. “Do we need to stay home today so you can continue your lovesick staring for the next few hours?”

“Yes,” Kawanishi said.

Laughing, Reon shook his head. “No. This will be the last day when we can stay up for a bit. I do want to spend it with you, Taichi, but I’d also like to get some sand and sun.”

Kawanishi sighed morosely, then waved his hand. “Fine, fine, we’ll go out.”

The smiles he received in return for giving in was all the reward he needed.

~~~~~~~~~

It really was the perfect day. Kawanishi was glad he’d brought his jacket; there was a breeze and a light cloud cover that cut the powerful sunlight. Reon had insisted on putting sunscreen on him before they left, of course; his skin did have a tendency to burn. Now, he was comfortable, rocking from side to side on a rented bike on the thick sand as he waited for Yamagata to finish paying the man.

Reon was already biking in large circles, a look of sublime happiness on his face as he curved into the path of a wave.

Honestly, this wasn’t something Kawanishi would choose to do on his own - he’d rather be at home playing video games or on the paintball range or at the arcade - but anything that made Reon that happy was bound to have a positive effect on him as well.

“Ready?” Yamagata asked, wheeling his bike over and nudging Kawanishi’s side.

“Hmm? Yeah,” Kawanishi said, more than aware of the soft smile on his face.

Laughing softly, Yamagata said, “It’s nice.”

“Nice?” Kawanishi asked, lost as he watched Reon chase down an annoyed seagull.

“To see you so happy. Especially after, well.”

Kawanishi nodded, thinking back to some of the things that had happened with the kids back home. Some of the slurs they’d thrown at him and Yamagata, like accusing him of liking boys was an insult.

“Yeah,” Kawanishi said, not needing to go into detail. “Ready?”

“Race ya!”

Laughing, Kawanishi followed his old friend further down the beach, smiling as they caught up with Reon and started cycling over the sand.

The fat rubber tires of their bikes had low pressure, giving them perfect traction on the sometimes-rocky sand. It was almost like floating on a cloud. They didn’t talk, just raced, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing near them and the soft crunch of sand under their tires.

It was almost like flying.

Kawanishi lasted a good while before the fatigue started to set in. It was the one thing about donating blood that he hated. Sighing, he slowed down, waving Reon and Yamagata on as they circled around in concern. He was fine.

Reon paused a moment, pulling his phone out of his pocket and looking at something. When Kawanishi caught up to him, he said, “Half a mile till the food stalls. You be able to make it till then?”

“Of course,” Kawanishi said, smiling at him.

“Good,” said Reon, glancing around for witnesses before pulling him in for a quick kiss. “For energy.”

“Right. Energy.” Kawanishi was unable to keep the smile from his face.

They started up again, catching up to where Yamagata was circling in patterns along the thicker dunes.

“Food?” Reon yelled out.

“Sure! Race ya!”

Kawanishi didn’t even try to race the two of them. Instead, he just followed, watching them play around as they rolled up on a more populated area of the beach.

Yamagata slowed, grinning at a pair of girls in bikinis laid out on towels.

Reon just shook his head, cycling toward the food trucks parked higher up on a parking lot near the edge of the dunes. Kawanishi followed him up the wooden boardwalk, catching up to his boyfriend right as he finished ordering a couple of bowls of beef sukiyaki.

Accepting a bottle of water, Kawanishi walked his bike over to one of the tables and let Reon brush sand from his shoulders.

“How bad is it?” Reon asked.

Kawanishi pondered, flexing his hand. “Not awful,” he said.

“Honestly?”

Nodding, Kawanishi thought about it. He wasn’t like Shirabu, able to donate blood and jump right back like it was nothing. Supplying Tendou’s needs was something he’d grown used to over his first year in the city. He’d had a break from that while Tendou was gone, only having to supply his parents once in awhile if there were issues with their regular donors. For the most part, they’d left him alone, concerned that too much feeding would hamper his growth.

Considering his current height, he was fairly sure they needn’t’ve been worried.

He didn’t mind it with Tendou, or Semi, but it was a bit much both at once.

“Does it bother you?” Kawanishi asked, peering at his boyfriend.

Last night had gotten a bit more rambunctious than usual. It wasn’t bad, not really. He’d kept his clothes on. But Tendou had pulled him into his lap and taken one side of his neck while Semi slid in between their legs and took the other, and well -

Things had been pretty hot.

Reon had been there the whole time, of course, holding his hand. The last thing Kawanishi wanted was for his boyfriend to get the wrong idea. He had, in fact, gotten the exact right idea, carrying Kawanishi to the bedroom afterward and giving him a rather spectacular blowjob. Things went fuzzy after that. He’d probably passed out - and it was probably a good thing Reon was so understanding. Still, he’d have to make it up to him later.

Especially since Reon was actually considering the question.

“Do you want to have sex with them?” Reon finally asked. “I mean, during feeding.”

It wasn’t a question asked with rancor or judgment, and Reon wasn’t the type to ask a question like that out of jealousy. It was just a matter of negotiating the boundaries of their relationship.

“I mean, I’ve let Tendou fuck me before,” Kawanishi said. “Feeding during sex is hot.”

“Same,” said Reon.

That sparked a tiny bit of jealousy in Kawanishi’s heart, but he was honest with himself about his tendency towards protectiveness when it came to Reon’s ass. After all, who could appreciate it more than himself?

Still, he didn’t want to get distracted. “I’ve never had sex with Semi before. I mean, they’re both hot? I prefer, um...”

“Me?” asked Reon, grinning.

Leaning back, Kawanishi took a good long look at his boyfriend. “Hell yeah. I mean, I’d love to tell you I don’t just want you for your body, but -”

Laughing loudly, Reon reached over and squeezed his hand before nodding in the direction of their food truck. “It’s up, I’ll be right back.”

Smiling, Kawanishi turned to watch him go. His attention was caught by the sight of Yamagata coming up toward them talking to a pretty girl with long black hair. They stopped at the edge of the parking lot and she waved at him before running up toward some of the shops at the road.

Raising an eyebrow as Yamagata came over to their table, Kawanishi asked, “Get a hot date?”

Yamagata laughed, running his hand through his hair sheepishly. “Nah, man. I was telling her how I was a fighter and she found out I was in the same group as Ushijima. From then on out it was Ushijima this, Ushijima that. Does he like kids, is he dating anybody, does he have a pet, you know.”

“What did you tell her?”

Smirking, Yamagata said, “I told her he had a really big dog.”

“A really big dog, eh?” Kawanishi said, puzzled a moment until Yamagata started waggling his eyebrows. “Oh. Dog, right.”

They were both snickering when Reon came over.

“Yes?” Reon asked, setting bowls down in front of them.

“Yamagata told this girl that Waka has a really big dog.”

Brow furrowing, Reon asked, “How would you know that?”

That shut the two of them up for a moment. Yamagata, never one to be quiet for too long, just said, “Uh, he’s a really big guy so we figured he’s probably got a really big, you know,”

“He’s had his dog since he was six though, as far as I know,” said Reon. “I’m assuming he was much smaller then.”

Yamagata blinked. “Oh, ah, you mean a real dog - wow, six? Wait, that’s a really old dog, man, are you -”

Lips twitching, Reon said, “Very old yes.”

Bursting out into laughter, Kawanishi said, “You - you -”

“Yes?” Reon asked, outright smiling.

“You’re too much,” Kawanishi replied, pulling his chopsticks apart and smiling back.

“Sometimes,” Reon admitted, winking at Yamagata. “Waka does have a dog back home, though - well really she’s his mother’s dog, but he took care of her. She’s just a tiny thing. He’d carry her around in a pack on his back sometimes when we went running. Said she liked the fresh air.”

“Man,” Yamagata said, “There’s just no competing with that guy, is there.”

“Nope,” said Reon, smiling a bit ruefully.

“Thankfully, neither of you really has to compete against him,” said Kawanishi. “You know he has zero interest in girlfriends, and neither of you have to fight him in the ring since he’s in your group.”

“I could, technically,” Reon said. “I’ve done it before.”

Kawanishi knew that back in his home district Reon had been second only to Ushiwaka in his division. He wasn’t as successful here in Tokyo, not with Bokuto and Onaga around. He and Washio were fairly evenly matched, but fourth and occasionally fifth was a far cry from second.

“Well, you’ll always be first in my heart, babe,” Kawanishi said, placing a hand over said heart and batting his eyelashes at him.

“Ugh, you two are just too super sweet sometimes,” Yamagata complained.

With the way Reon was smiling at him, though, Kawanishi didn’t regret a thing.

“Eat up,” said Reon, picking up a mushroom with his chopsticks before waving them at Kawanishi. “I figured we could keep the bikes locked up and head up to the shops for a bit while we let our food digest later, what do you think?”

“Sure thing,” said Kawanishi.

He savored the food, turning to the side every so often to catch a glimpse of the sea. The day was warming up enough that he almost didn’t need his jacket. Yamagata was making stupid running jokes about some show he and Tendou had been watching, trying to involve Reon in the conversation.

Such a perfect day.

A stray cat came over to their table and hopped up next to him, a little gray and white tabby with a spot on its nose. Kawanishi smiled at her, recognizing her from a few of their visits here before. He lifted a piece of beef out to feed her before Reon tapped his chopsticks.

“No,” Reon said.

“Aww, but look at her, she’s starving.”

Raising an eyebrow, Reon tilted his head to get a better look. “That is one of the fattest cats I’ve ever seen.”

“Aww but -”

“Eat,” said Reon, taking a piece of beef from his bowl and putting it in Kawanishi’s.

“Man, you just wanna fatten me up.”

“Maybe,” Reon replied, lips twitching.

“More cushin for the pushin!” interjected Yamagata.

Both of them turned to stare at him.

“Hey hey, I just - “ Yamagata started.

“Are you saying I have a flat ass?” asked Kawanishi.

“Well, I wasn’t gonna say anything, but -”

“Good thing my ass is just fine,” said Reon, calmly slurping his noodles.

“I - uh - wait - do you -”

Kawanishi gave Yamagata a wolfish grin. “Just what are you thinking, Yama? Are you thinking about two men having sex? Are you thinking about me having sex with Reon, me fucking -”

“Now you see why I want him to build his strength up,” Reon interrupted.

“Hey! Are you saying I’m not -”

“Needs more stamina, too, though that takes effort and exercise -”

“Since when have I ever left you unsatis - uh - ok so there was a very good reason for me passing out last night -”

“It’s fine, I just jacked off to the sight of your naked body.”

Kawanishi blinked. “I don’t know if that’s disturbing or hot.”

“Disturbing,” Yamagata said, covering his eyes. “Very disturbing. Hey, uh, you’ve never done that with me, right? Come into my room and uh -”

“Dude, no way. You drool,” said Kawanishi.

“Plus you’re too small,” said Reon.

“Excuse me? I’ll have you know I’m perfectly normal sized! Not my fault you’re attracted to string beans!”

“I am not a string bean,” said Kawanishi, appalled. “I do have muscle, you know.”

“He does,” agreed Reon. “I’ve seen him naked.”

Yamagata gave a slight huff of laughter and looked down at his almost-empty bowl, stirring it with his chopsticks.

Grinning at him, Kawanishi said, “Are you jealous?”

“What? No, of course not!” Yamagata said, cheeks slightly pink as he stared at him. “Besides, I’ve seen you naked.”

Something about the words seemed off, like his teasing question had actually hit on some buried truth. Kawanishi wasn’t sure what to do with that truth, so he just went with more teasing. “Yeah, like when we were twelve. I’ve filled out a bit since then.”

“Well, our bedroom is just down the hall if you ever want a refresher,” Reon said, picking out his last mushroom.

Kawanishi stared at him, uncertain again. Was Reon inviting Yamagata to - but Yamagata liked girls, right? Even if he did like boys as well, did Reon want to sleep with him? Well, want them to? And did it have anything to do with what he’d said about Semi and Tendou earlier?

Glancing up at him, Reon just smiled.

His boyfriend was such a mystery sometimes. A mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a very nice comfortable body that Kawanishi could spend hours exploring. The thought of sharing him only sparked a moment of insecurity, quickly flooded by love.

They could talk about it later.

Gobbling up the last few bites of meat in his bowl, Kawanishi said, “Ok, I’m done. Ready to go exploring?”

“Ugh, didn’t your mother teach you to not talk with your mouth full?” Yamagata said, racing to finish his bowl as well. “How anyone could find you sexy -”

“I’m pretty sure we just figured out you find me hot, Yama,” Kawanishi teased.

“No way. You probably fart in bed.”

“He does,” Reon said, chuckling as he stood and picked up their bowls and walked over to the trash.

“Traitor,” Kawanishi said, admiring the view before looking back at Yamagata. “Everyone farts in bed though, dude. I bet even that hottie you were talking to earlier farts in bed.”

“No way! Girls are pure, they don’t do things like that!”

“Yeah, so pure. Have you seen the way that one chick - is it Yukie? - puts away onigiri? And you think she’s pure?”

“Dude, have you seen the way she lands a punch? If she paid attention to me I don’t think I’d care about how pure she was.”

“Oi, you think she’s hotter than me?”

“What are you talking about man? Of course,” Yamagata said, rubbing the back of his head and looking away.

Right.

Grinning, Kawanishi wondered at the way his heart was beating a little bit faster with this new information. He thought back to all the crap people had said about them back home. He’d always dismissed it, knew all of Yamagata’s crushes - but bisexuality was a thing.

“Ready?” Reon asked, coming back over and giving the cat a pet before picking up his water bottle.

“Sure thing, babe,” Kawanishi said. He slid off the bench and stood, letting Yamagata lead the way down the road towards the touristy shops. He hung back with Reon, knowing better than to push.

“What do you think?” Reon asked.

Pondering the question, Kawanishi looked down at him. “I think,” he said, leaning closer, “that we need to have a long conversation later. That is if you actually want to have this conversation.”

“Do you want to have this conversation?” Reon asked, giving him a warm smile that made Kawanishi’s heart beat just a little bit faster. “It’s totally optional to me. I’m happy either way.”

“Really? You mean you’d be satisfied with just having me in your bed for the foreseeable future?” Kawanishi teased, knowing that there was a true need to know under his question.

Reon laughed softly, turning to look at Yamagata. “Babe, I’ve never been this satisfied with my life before. If yours was the last pair of lips I ever kissed, I think I’d be happy.”

Kawanishi stumbled, catching himself on Reon’s arm. “Dude,” he said, glancing around and feeling his cheeks heat up. “I told you. Not in public!”

“Maybe I just like catching you,” said Reon, hand at his waist.

Yamagata glanced back at them. “You two alright back there?”

“Yeah, we’re fine,” said Reon, smiling with eyes that Kawanishi wanted to get lost in forever. “Just low blood pressure, I think.”

“Because someone’s got my heart pumping double-time,” Kawanishi muttered.

“Oh, shit man,” Yamagata said, jogging back to them. “You sure you’re alright? I mean, I can always call the guy and forfeit the deposit, have them pick up the bikes at the lot. We can catch a taxi back to the car.

Brow furrowing, Kawanishi said, “We don’t have -”

“Yeah, let’s do that just in case,” said Reon, throwing an arm around Kawanishi to support him, managing to squeeze his side serendipitously.

“I’ll be fine! Plus I want to look at some of the shops.” Kawanishi complained. He didn’t mind the arm though, not at all - and he supposed a bit of his lightheadedness could be blamed on his blood pressure.

“Really?” Yamagata said, gaze suspiciously as he studied Kawanishi’s face. “Well, how about this, let’s go ahead and call off the bikes anyways, yeah? Then check out a couple of these shops, and if you still feel up to it, we could find some other way to spend our time. I still haven’t gone to that wax museum yet.”

“Dude,” Kawanishi said, “The wax museum is just creepy.”

“I rather enjoyed it,” Reon said.

“Yeah, well you also like -”

The smirk Reon was giving him made him stop. Maybe mentioning Reon’s enjoyment of his unconscious body was something to save until later, if ever.

“Also like?” Yamagata asked.

“Nothing,” Kawanishi said, cheeks burning as he wondered why he was the one embarrassed at the moment.

Reon squeezed his waist again and said, “Let's go. Maybe we can find Tendou a One Piece keychain or something.”

“Dude! Do you think they’d have Kotori?” asked Yamagata, eyes lighting up as they started back toward the shops.

“I thought you liked Rin best?” Reon asked.

“Eh, I’m not so picky. Kotori is just so adorable, though!”

“Personally I like Makki best,” said Kawanishi, pushing the door to the shop open and holding it for the other two to come through. He nodded respectfully to the proprietor and looked at all the bright and shiny plastic objects that lined the walls and display cases.

“I like Umi,” said Reon, walking over to a rack of keychains.

“You would,” said Yamagata, walking over to a table with various knick knacks on it.

Kawanishi just smiled. He wondered if Shirabu would like any of this stuff. One of these days they’d have to drag him out on one of these outings. He’d been so reserved the past few months, barely even responding to Kawanishi’s texts. Goshiki seemed to have changed all that, though.

Chuckling, Kawanishi wondered if all it took was a vampire prince to tame the savage beast of salt that was one of his best friends. A Yo-Kai Watch keychain caught his eye and he smirked, snagging the orange cat as he thought of the toothbrush he’d dropped off for Shirabu the first night he’d stayed over.

It would make for a pleasant reminder, he was sure.

“What’s that for?” Reon asked, coming up behind him.

“Shirabu,” said Kawanishi, looking at the handful of keychains in his boyfriend’s hand. “Oh, sick. You found Brook? Tendou will love that.”

“Yeah, and I got this one for you,” Reon said, holding up a girl with long green hair and big eyes.

“Tsuyu!” Kawanishi said, grinning broadly. “Dude, you rock! She’s so amazing.”

“I know she’s your favorite. Got Shouto for Semi too, and All Might for Wakatoshi.”

Kawanishi chuckled, leaning against his boyfriend as he looked at the array. “They’ll love them. What about for yourself?”

Reon just shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll be able to find -”

“Look!” said Yamagata, rushing up to them. “Kotori and Umi!”

“Perfect,” said Kawanishi. He handed the Jibanyan keychain to Reon and said, “I’m going to go look at postcards a few minutes.

“Reon, you’ve got to come look at these bowls, dude.”

“Bowls?” Reon asked.

Kawanishi wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

He was more interested in the pretty pictures of the beach on the postcards, though a box with matted prints by local artists caught his eye. There were a couple views of Mount Fuji that were rather good. He thought his mother might like them.

They were planning to come visit sometime soon. He wondered what they would think of the fact that he had a boyfriend now.

Reon was a man any parent should be proud to call son-in-law, as far as Kawanishi was concerned. There was a tiny pang in his heart for things that would never happen. On some level, he knew that even the freedoms he had were only because of the Tendou family’s generosity; he was on his family's register in name only nowadays, and he knew some things wouldn’t be allowed even if it became legal.

Maybe they could go to Hawaii or somewhere and get it done just for fun.

That was assuming, of course, that Reon would ever even be interested in something like that.

“You aren’t supposed to be frowning,” said the man himself, poking Kawanishi’s shoulder.

“Ah, sorry,” Kawanishi said, smiling up at him. “Didn’t see you come up. Was just thinking about family.”

Reon nodded, searching his face. “You ready to go?”

“Yeah,” said Kawanishi, taking a few postcards and the two prints. “I’ll just get these things and check out.”

“Alright. Yamagata is outside calling about the bikes and a cab to take us back to the car.”

“Sounds good,” Kawanishi said.

There was something in Reon’s eyes that let Kawanishi know he probably wasn’t quite convinced that the slight shift in Kawanishi’s mood had just been about family, but that was fine.

They could have a long conversation about that too, later. Maybe a few months later. No need to rush things, after all.

They had time.

~~~~~~~

In the end, they just decided to put the top down and drive along the coastal highway. Reon drove, Kawanishi sitting beside him and smelling the salt air while they all listened to the crazy variety of music on Yamagata’s phone. The man himself sang and jumped around in the back seat, interjecting the music with memories and random trivia. There were songs Kawanishi remembered from their junior high days, other songs that had been popular in their high school years, a few from animes they’d all watched together since being in Tokyo. Kawanishi switched out with Yamagata mid-afternoon, curling up in the back after they put the top back up. A light shower hit about half an hour after that, making nice background noise as he dropped off into a light nap. He dozed, listening to Reon and Yamagata talk about other fighters and strategies, utterly happy.

Life was good.

Not perfect, maybe, but good. And really, was anyone’s life perfect? Everyone had to live with limits of one type or another. His life just happened to be less negotiable than most, more privileged than others.

When the conversation lulled, he sat up and asked, “Did you guys always want to be fighters?”

Turning in his seat, Yamagata said, “Sure. Fighters are cool. Don’t you remember growing up going to the matches?”

“Yeah, of course,” Kawanishi said, looking away from where Reon was trying to catch his gaze in the mirror. “Too much effort for me, though, really.”

“Hah! Yeah, well, I'm surprised you didn’t major in professional napping.”

Kawanishi snorted. “If you talk to some of my professors, they’d probably tell you I did.”

“I always wanted to be a singer,” said Reon.

“A singer? What, no way!” said Yamagata, staring at him open-mouthed. “What, like an idol?”

Laughing, Reon said, “No, not that kind of a singer. Ah -”

“What kind?” asked Kawanishi, curious about the faint blush that colored his boyfriend’s cheeks.

“Yeah! Tell us.”

“Uh, I always wanted to be an enka singer,” admitted Reon, shrugging as he drove. “You know, ballads and things.”

“Really?” Kawanishi said, delighted to find out this detail about his boyfriend. “Are you going to serenade me sometime?”

“If you want, I guess,” said Reon, glancing at him. “Yeah, I think I could do that.”

The sincerity of the look in his eyes made Kawanishi’s heart clench. He really was too much of a sap. He personally wasn’t all that fond of the older music, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that if Reon sang a song he’d probably love it no matter what it was.

“What about you, Kawa? What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Kawanishi thought about it. “I dunno, maybe a fighter pilot?”

Yamagata just laughed. “You hate heights.”

“They aren’t that bad,” Kawanishi objected.

“You won’t even take me up the sky tree.”

“Hey! Well, you know, I just want you to have that experience sometime with a date. If you ever get a date.”

“So cruel to me, Kawa,” Yamagata said, grinning at him. “No, but seriously, you don't even like combat sims. What did you really want to be?”

Kawanishi frowned, staring up at the blue sky through the back window. “I don’t know. Guess I never really thought about it.”

He’d always known what he would end up being, after all.

“Well,” said Yamagata, “I bet now you could be almost anything you wanted.”

“Except firefighter,” Reon mused. “Or lifeguard, or police officer. Waiter is out too, though if you ever wanted to roleplay -”

Kawanishi laughed, looking at his lover in the rearview mirror. “What, you want me to dress up like a waiter?”

Reon shrugged. “Really, any of the above would be good. I’m sure I could get you a pair of red speedos.”

Yamagata joined in on the laughter, and just like that, it was like everything was better.

They were both right, really.

Well. He couldn’t be anything he wanted. Nothing life-threatening, nothing that would take him away from Japan for too long.

Still -

“Tendou would probably support whatever you wanted to do,” said Reon. “You know that.”

“I was just asking a random question,” Kawanishi protested. It sounded weak to his ears, but he appreciated what Reon said, even if there was a difference between someone letting you do something and actually having the freedom to do whatever you chose.

But he probably shouldn’t complain.

He had it pretty good, really. A man who loved him, friends who supported him, a nice bed to sleep in and whatever food he wanted - yeah, he had it pretty good.

Why he was even musing about this sort of thing he didn’t know.

Maybe he was just tired.

“Hey,” Kawanishi asked, “do you think we could make it to the sky tree before dark?”

“What?” Yamagata said, turning and looking at him with wide eyes.

“Well, since you’ve done such a crap job at finding yourself a date, maybe the two of us could take you out.”

“Ack! Bastard! I’m not that hard up!”

Kawanishi laughed, leaning forward between the two seats. “Aww, are you turning me down, Hayato? I promise we’ll be gentle.”

There was that blush again, barely glimpsed before Yamagata was looking stubbornly out the passenger-side window. “Jerk,” he muttered.

Chuckling, Reon reached up and rubbed his knuckles against Kawanishi’s cheek. “I’m not sure we’d be able to make it back by sundown anyway, babe. Would you settle for dinner at one of the seaside restaurants?”

Yawning slightly, Kawanishi pondered this. “Might be nice. Or we could skip it all, grab Thai takeout and go home to watch a few episodes of love live before we all pass out.”

Reon smiled. “That would be fine as well.”

“Yeah. Let me have quality time with my Kotori to help cleanse my mind from spending all day with you two,” Yamagata muttered.

Snorting, Kawanishi said, “Oh yeah, because it was just so awful for you.”

Yamagata just whistled like he was ignoring him, though Kawanishi could see the hint of a smile on his face when he glanced his direction.

Good friends. A loving boyfriend. A friendship with new, interesting dimensions that might or might not be explored later.

And then, of course, Tendou, Semi and Ushiwaka waiting at home, and Shirabu and Goshiki just a floor above him.

Could be better. Could be worse. But really, Kawanishi was fairly sure he wouldn’t trade his life for anything else at all.

“Home it is, then,” he said, turning to kiss his boyfriend’s hand before looking out the front window, watching the road.

**Author's Note:**

> Ok so the keychains, unless i missed anything -
> 
> Shirabu - [Jibanyan from Yo-kai Watch](http://yokaiwatch.wikia.com/wiki/Jibanyan)  
> Ushiwaka - [All Might from Boko No Hero Academia](http://bokunoheroacademia.wikia.com/wiki/All_Might)  
> Tendou - [Brook from One Piece](http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Brook)  
> Semi - [Shouto Todoroki from Boko No Hero Academia](http://bokunoheroacademia.wikia.com/wiki/Shouto_Todoroki)  
> Kawanishi - [Tsuyu Asui from Boko No Hero Academia](http://bokunoheroacademia.wikia.com/wiki/Tsuyu_Asui)  
> Reon - [Sonoda Umi from Love Live](http://love-live.wikia.com/wiki/Sonoda_Umi)  
> Yamagata - [Minami Kotori from Love Live](http://love-live.wikia.com/wiki/Minami_Kotori)


End file.
